| Hey guys! It's 2:23am here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We left Banda Aceh (were we were working) at about 9:00am this (yesterday) morning. That would be about 10:00pm your time. We had two short flights here to KL, got here about 5:00pm. Our plane doesn't leave until 8:50am (pm, EDT) so we were like, how ofte will we be in Malaysia? Hit the town! What a city! This place is awesome! Beautiful city, we paid someone to take us around to the KL Tower, 3rd (I think) talles building in the world. Went about halfway up to the observation deck. Awesome view! Definately worth it. After that went and saw the tallest twin towers in the world, the Petronas towers. Beautiful is all I can say. Went to the market in Chinatown, but since it closes at twelve, we didn't have much time (or money! ) Tomorrow, we fly twelve hours to stolkholm, sweden and then seven hours to newark! Home sweet home!!!! I had an awesome time. I feel like my reasons for going were almost selfish, compared to what God had in store for me. I went for the experience, because I wanted to see Indonesia, because I wanted to say "I helped rebuild after the tsunami, I was there!" I got to do all those things (praise Him!), but it was just awesome the way God opened my eyes. I spent a fair amount of time sharing with the locales. Indonesia is a very friendly country, very inquisitive and curious. They have absolutely no problem asking me (a total stranger) questions that in America we normally would find intrusive. God's been telling me I need to be more open, and to see a culture where it is a way of life was amazing. Also, while I talked a lot with the Muslims I had an opportunity to be around (very friendly. Most of them really want to learn english, so they love talking with someone who knows the language) I got be close to a number of the young native christians. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world, but they have a lot of persecution in the country. I read that in the last decade, over 500 churches have been destroyed. To read it is one thing. To talk with youth younger than me who had to flee their homes because of the jihad that is against them made it real to me in a way it never was before. One guy literally had to run away into the jungle to keep from being killed. Two members of his family weren't so fortunate. Another guy, though he was a christian, was forced to fight for the jihadists, until he was able to escape. Today they are both working in the Tsunami area, helping their persuctors find homes after their tragedy. Today they are hoping to go back to the very area they fled, hoping to spred God's message of love to the persecutors. Love with shoes on. Could I have the same love, if it was my home they had destroyed? Or my family they had killed? I think I could, through Jesus I could, but I'm reminded of the verse, You have not yet resisted unto blood. It's one thing to read about persecution. It's one thing to go to a conference and hear about what's happening. I've also come to relize that for me, the fact that's it's usually men and women in their 40's or 50's, not teenagers or young adults, who are telling the stories kinda distances it from me, in a way. Not only that, but I can go home and in a day or two, basically forget about what I read or what I heard. But to see these guys, and hear their testimonies, and realize that they were, like 3, 4, sometimes 5 years younger than me... Wowww. All I can say is we are a body. When the hand hurts, the whole body suffers. I want to be content to be right were God wants me, but not so content that I no longer feel the pain the rest of the body endures. Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me to this place. Thank you for being merciful and gracious to me and looking past my selfish motives, and opening my eyes to the truth. Be with your children, wherever thay are, but, today, most of all, I pray that you would be with your children in Indonesia. Fill their hearts with your peace and joy unspeakable. Guide them with your light. Watch over them and protect them with your strong right hand. And give them a harvest for the seeds they are planting today. Some sixty, and some an hundred fold. May Indonesia come to be known as the largest Christian Country in the world. In Jesus name, Amen. |
... And everywhere that Jamie went, the girls were sure to go. Hah, hah, hah.) Left Medan, and flew to Bandah Aceh. Half hour ride in the back of a truck (stopped along the way to check out our work site.) The locals were all looking and waving at the sight of twenty americans standing in the back of a truck. This place is pretty cool though. Right now, I'm being serenaded by the muslim evening call to prayers. Five times a day and the first one is a five am. Oh, boy.